Sunday, January 30, 2011

Flood relief - on a personal level

Blogger A-M lives in Brisbane, in one of the flood-affected areas near the river. She and her boys were extraordinarily lucky in that their ground floor apartment was untouched by the floodwaters. They have spent quite some time with no power or hot water and various other inconveniences, but A-M considers herself fortunate and has been out and about helping others who were not so lucky, like 73-year-old Ken.




Please go and read A-M's post about Ken, who is in desperate need of some help. His townhouse was completely flooded and is now just a shell, with no walls, floor coverings, cabinets or power, and not a stick of furniture. You can help Ken directly by using the Paypal "donate" button that A-M has set up on her blog.

Also, if you're in Brissie and you know a generous plumber who may be able to spare some time to help Ken get a new kitchen installed, please leave A-M a comment on her blog.

I know that bloggers are a generous lot and I'm sure we can help Ken get back on his feet.

x

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Alien plant from the planet Zorg

My succulent collection has endured the big wet and is now enjoying the warmer weather, with most putting on some major growth.

This particular one is a favourite of mine. I don't know its name* unfortunately, but its pretty colours and odd, warty leaves really stand out. Now it's thrown out a long stem from the centre, which I assume is a flower(?):



I get the giggles every time I see it, because it reminds me of some alien eye-on-a-stalk from a B-grade sci-fi movie.



I swear it's watching me. Creepy...


*Edit: I'm told it's most likely an echeveria.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

The neighbourhood

All this in the suburbs, without going more than 1km from my door. Make that 800m, I was feeling lazy....

Creek



State park



Old homestead



Billabong



River



And where we live....



Love it! :)